Device for discharging articles from the table assembly of a tufting machine



Nov. 6, 1962 F. E. KALNlNG ETAL 3,062,161

DEVICE FOR DISCHARGING ARTICLES FROM THE TABLE ASSEMBLY OF A TUFTING MACHINE Filed Jan. 4, 1960 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 F-x l I l I Q Q O i' N \5D *fl H "I II. N 1 T jam i411 1962 F. E. KALNING ETAL 3,

DEVICE FOR DISCHARGING ARTICLES FROM THE TABLE ASSEMBLY OF A TUFTING MACHINE Filed Jan. 4, 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 W122? if 1% W4 \l w i i I l l l l l M W/ W7 rli 1 WWW I x X x x a x X X x x x x x X X x Nov. 6, 1962 F. E. KALNIN ETAL 3,052,161

DEVICE FOR DISCHARGING ICLES FROM THE TABLE ASSEMBLY OF A TUFTING MACHINE Filed Jan. 4, 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet a Patented Nov. 6, 1952 ice Maine Filed Jan. 4, 1960, Ser. No. 210 3 Claims. (Cl. 112-3) The present invention relates to a device for discharging articles from the table assembly of a tufting machine.

The invention is herein disclosed in a preferred form as embodied in a tufting machine adapted for tufting mattresses and similar articles in which the mattress or similar article is supported on a table assembly which comprises a table movable along a transverse path on said machine and an article retaining frame which provides a rail enclosing said article and which is mounted for movement in a forward and back direction on said table.

i It is a principal object of the present invention to provide an etfectiveand readily operable device for dischargingtheworked upon or tufted mattressfrom the table assembly. 7 v

. .More specifically it is an object of the invention to provide a novel and improved discharge device which is well adapted to engage with and remove a mattress or similar article from the retaining frame within which it is confined and thereafter to effect the removal of the article from the table assembly when located in a predetermined discharge position.

The present application is a continuation in part of an application of Frederick E. Kalning and Howard E. Redman, Serial No. 669,558, now Patent No. 2,976,828, filed July 2, 1957, in the United States Patent Ofiice for a Hydraulically Operated Table.

With the above noted and other objects in view as may hereinafter appear the several features of the invention consist of devices, combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed which, together with the advantages to be obtained thereby, will be readily understood by one skilled in the art from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a somewhat diagrammatic side view of a tufting machine and table assembly illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention, the forwardly extended position of the retaining frame being shown in dot-and-dash lines;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the tufting machine and the table assembly shown in the loading position, and illustrating particularly the mechanism for discharging the tufted mattress from the table, the discharge position of this mechanism being shown in dotted lines;

FIG. 3 is a detailed sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of FIG. 2 illustrating particularly the construction and operation of the mechanism for discharging the tufted mattress from the table assembly;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view in side elevation showing a portion of the table and the mattress discharge mechanism illustrating particularly a modified form of the discharge mechanism including means for raising the mattress bodily above the wall of the retaining frame prior to tipping over and discharging the mattress from the table assembly;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 but with the rock shaft forming part of the mattress discharge mechanism. moved through nearly a 90 angle toward the discharge position, shown in dot-and-dash lines;

FIG 6 is an exploded view in perspective of themattress discharge mechanism shown in FIG. 4 illustrating particularly the relationship of the table, retaining frame, rock shaft, support member and rocker arm; and

FIG. 7 is a somewhat diagrammatic view illustrating the electrical connections and valve controlled thereby for operating the hydraulic cylinder by means of which the mattress discharge mechanism is operated.

A device for discharging mattresses and similar articles from the table assembly of the mattress tufting machine which forms particularly the subject matter of the present invention comprises a rocker shaft and a series of rocker arms supported therefrom which are normally buried in recesses formed in the table, and which act when the shaft is rotated to tip the completed mattress over the rear wall of the retaining frame onto a receiving table or other suitable device. The rocker shaft and associated rocker arms are mounted on the table in a position to engage beneath and to discharge the tufted mattress from the table assembly only for a predetermined discharge position of the table in which the table has been moved to its position at the extreme right, and the retaining frame is fully retracted as shown in FIG. 3. Referring more specifically to the drawings, FIG. 1 discloses a mattress tufting machine consisting of a -U-shaped frame 20 including a base support 22 in which is housed a knot forming device which may be of ordinary description.

The mattress support assembly of the machine comprises a fixed frame with legs 28 and two transversely extending rails 30, 32 which are mounted in a predetermined fixed relationship to the frame 20 of the tufting mechanism. A mattress supporting table 34 which may be of usual description is mounted on wheels 36 for movement on the rails in the transverse direction. A mattress retaining frame 38 having side and end walls 39 which enclose a mattress placed therein is mounted on the table 34 for movement relative thereto in a forward and back direction. Wheels 40 mounted on the two sides of the frame 38 are arranged to ride on rails 42 carried on the table 34 to facilitate movement of the retaining frame 38 relative thereto.

The table 34 is formed with a fiat top surface to support a mattress which is adapted to be slid forward and. back thereon. The table top is formed with a slot which extends the full transverse dimension of the table through. which the tuft inserting mechanism operates for any t-raris-, verse position of the table. The mattress retaining frame 38 having side and end walls 39 which encase the mat-.

tress, is adapted to be slid forward and back on the table moving the mattress therewith so that any desired portion of the mattress may be brought into position over the slot in the table for the operation of the tufting mechanism. Inasmuch as this mechanism is conventional to three mattress raising rocker arms 52 which normally occupy forwardly extending positions as shown in FIGS.- 2 and 3 within slots 54 formed in the table surface.

Assuming that the mattress and retaining frame havebeen moved rearwardly to the loading position on the table, the mattress will overlie these arms 52 so that a rocking'movernent of the shaft 50 and arms 52 will act to swing the mattress upwardly about its rear edge as indicated by the dot-and-dash positions of FIG. 3 andcause the mattress to be tipped over into an upside down posi tion on a loading platform 55. A rocking movement of the shaft 50 is accomplished by means of a hydraulic cylinder 56 which is provided with a piston 58 having formed on the rear end thereof a rack 66 adapted for engagement with a pinion 62 secured to the left hand end of the rock shaft 50 as viewed in FIG. 2.

The operation of the hydraulic cylinder 56 is controlled by means of a solenoid actuated reversing valve 66 and two manually operated switches comprising a discharge switch 68 and a return switch 70. The reversing valve 66 comprises a cylinder and associated valve stem 72 having two spool portions 74, 76 and lands 78. Fluid under pressure is supplied from a manifold 80 to a central inlet pipe 82 and is then channeled through the spool conduit and a pipe 84 to one end of the cylinder 56 cansing the piston 58 to be moved to a retracted position in which the rocker arms are buried in their respective recesses, or alternatively is channeled through the spool conduit 76 and pipe 88 to the other end of the cylinder 56 causing the piston 58 to be moved to an advanced position in which the rock shaft 50 and rocker arms 52 are rotated through 135 to the extreme discharge position shown in dot-and-dash lines at A in FIG. 3. Fluid is exhausted in each case from the alternate end of the cylinder 56 through the appropriate pipe connection and spool conduit to one of two outlet pipes 91 92.

The reversing valve 66 for controlling the operation of the discharge cylinder 56 is actuated by means of solenoids forming part of an electrical control system for the automatic control table. Referring to FIG. 7 the valve stem 72 is adapted to be drawn in opposite directions by two solenoids 94, 96 acting respectively upon the two ends of the valve stem. The solenoid 94 is energized to shift the discharge valve piston 58 to the discharge position by means of electrical connections which include an electrical inlet power line 104, a branch line 106, the manually operable unload push switch 68 connected by a wire 110 with the solenoid 94 and an outlet power line 112. The solenoid 96 is energized to shift the discharge valve piston 58 to the alternative return inoperative position of the mattress discharge mechanism by means of electrical connections which include said electrical inlet power line 104, a branch line 114, the manually operable return switch 70 connected by a wire 118 with the solenoid 96, and said outlet power line 112.

The operation of the device for discharging mattresses and similar articles from the table assembly is best indicated in FIGS. 2 and 3 of the drawings. It is assumed that the table assembly has been returned to the loading and discharge position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 in which the table has been moved to the extreme right and the retaining frame 38 is fully retracted. For this position of the table assembly the retaining frame and contained mattress indicated at 121 will overlie the discharge mechanism supporting the rock shaft 50 and rocker arms 52. The receiving table 55 onto which the mattress is to be moved is for this position of the table assembly disposed directly behind the retaining frame and mattress. When the unloading push switch 70 is now actuated by the operator the rocking movement of shaft 50 and rocker arms 52 as shown in FIG. 3 will cause the mattress to be tipped up onto its edge and thereafter to be discharged in an upside down position onto the receiving table 55. The rock shaft 50 and rocker arm 52 are constructed and arranged to rotate through an angle of about 135 to the the extreme position shown in dot-and-dash lines in FIG. 3. The operator will now press the return switch 68 thus causing the rock shaft 50 and rocker arms 52 to be rotated in the reverse direction to their initial inoperative position in which the rocker arms 52 are buried in their slots in the table 34.

FIGS. 4, and 6 of the drawings illustrate another embodiment of the invention in which the turning movement imparted to the rock shaft 50 forming part of the discharge device is employed first to raise the mattress bodily above the level of the retaining frame walls, and rearwardly, and thereafter, as said turning movement continues, to cause the rear edge of the mattress to be lifted over the wall 39 of the retaining frame 38, so that the entire mattress is supported by said table 55 as the mattress is being turned over to its final upside down discharge position thereon.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the shaft 50 has secured thereto a plurality of substantially U-shaped support members 122 which are fixedly secured to the rock shaft 50, one of said support members being aligned with each slot 54 and arranged to be normally buried therein. Each support arm is provided at its rearwardly extending free end with a yoke portion 124 in which a rocker arm 126 is mounted for turning movement about a pivot pin 128. As best shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 of the drawings the bottom of each yoke 124 is slanted allowing only a limited angular movement of the rocker arm about its pivot. The rocker arm is shown in FIG. 5 in a straightened-out limiting position of the rocker arm turned clockwise with relation to the support member in which the underside of the rocker arm is engaged with the forward end of the slot formed by the yoke portion of the associated support member. Movement of the rocker arm in the opposite or counterclockwise direction is limited to approximately 30 by engagement of the underside of the rocker arm with the rear end of said slot. It will be noted that, when the rock shaft 50 is turned through to its limiting discharge position the support members 122 will reach over the wall 39 of the retaining frame, so that the pivoted ends of the rocker arms 126 are moved over and rearwardly of said wall 39.

The discharge mechanism illustrated in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 of the drawings operates in the following manner:

Assuming that the table assembly has been moved to the discharge position of FIGS. 1 and 3 in which the table 34 is in its position to the extreme right and the retaining frame 38 has been moved to its fully retracted position so that the retaining frame and supported mattress overlie the discharge mechanism including the rock shaft 50, support members 122 attached thereto, and rocker arms 126, the operator now presses the mattress discharge switch 70 to energize solenoid 96 as above outlined. The hydraulic piston 58 moves rearwardly and the rock shaft is thus caused to rotate through an arc of approximately 135". During the first portion of this movement the support members 122 are raised thus lifting the pivoted ends of the rocker arms 126 only until the angle between the rocker arms and support members approximates 30 when the under sides of the rocker arms engage against the outer ends of the slots formed in.

the support members 122. The continued turning move ment of the rock shaft 50, support members 122 and rocker arms 126, now connected to turn as a unit, causes the rocker arms 126 and mattress supported thereon to be raised to a substantially level position above the level of the retaining frame rail, while at the same time the mattress is shifted bodily in a rearward direction, so that the rear edge of the mattress approaches a position overlying the retaining frame rail.

Continued rotation of the rock shaft 50, the support members 122, and the rocker arms 126 therewith now causes the mattress to be tipped over onto its side rearwardly of the retaining frame rail and then to be discharged in an upside down position on the receiving table 55. During this turning movement of the rock shaft 50, support members 122 and rocker arms 126, the mattress is tipped over onto its side and is at the same time moved bodily rearwardly so that it will drop over the edge of the rear wall 39 of the retaining frame 38. During the final increment of movement the rock shaft 50 and support members 122, the rocker arms 126 having been moved beyond a vertical position will tend to tilt forwardly into their initial straight line position in which the underside of each rocker arm is engaged with the other end of the slot formed in the end of the associated support member 122.

The mattress having been discharged, the operator will press the return switch '68 energizing solenoid 94 and causing the discharge cylinder piston 58 to retract. During said retracting movement the support members 122 and rocker arms 126 are swung in the reverse or counterclockwise direction to their initial position in which they are buried in the slots formed in the table.

The invention having been described what is claimed is:

1. A mattress discharge device for use in a machine for tufting mattresses and like articles including a table having an article supporting surface with recesses formed therein extending inwardly from an edge portion of said surface, and an article retaining rail having a mattress discharge position along said edge of said surface, which comprises a rock shaft mounted in said edge portion of the table intersecting said recesses for rocking movement between a retracted and a mattress discharge position, a series of support members secured to said rock shaft for rocking movement therewith from a buried position in said slot to a raised rearwardly inclined position, said support members being shaped for said raised rearwardly inclined position to extend over and outwardly of said article retaining rail to provide pivotal supports overlying and outside of said rail, and a rocker arm pivotally attached to the pivotal support provided by each said support member for a limited turning movement relative thereto, said rocker arms forming extensions of said support members and normally buried therewith in said slots, whereby a turning movement of the rock shaft and support members from said retracted position is effective first to raise the attached end of said rocker arms and edge portion of the mattress supported thereon over and beyond said rail, and thereafter to turn said rocker arms with the rock shaft to turn over and dis charge said mattress from the table assembly about a pivotal axis out of contact with and beyond said rail, and power operated driving means connected to effect said rocking movements of the rock shaft.

2. A mattress discharge device for use in a machine for tufting mattresses and like articles having an article supporting table assembly including a table movable along a path on said machine and having an article supporting surface with recesses formed therein extending inwardly from an edge portion of said surface, and an article retaining frame providing a rail enclosing said article mounted for movement on said table along a diverse path, said table and article retaining frame being movable in said diverse paths from a discharge station in which said article retaining frame overlies a portion of said article supporting surface including said recesses, which comprises a rock shaft mounted in said edge portion of the table intersecting said recesses for rocking movement between a retracted and a mattress discharge position, a series of support members secured to said rock shaft for rocking movement therewith from a buried position in said slot to a raised rearwardly inclined position, said support members being shaped to provide pivotal supports overlying and outside of the rail of said retaining frame, and a rocker arm pivotally attached to the pivotal support provided by each said support member for a limited turning movement relative thereto, said rocker arms forming extensions of said support members and normally buried therewith in said slots, whereby a turning movement of the rock shaft and support members from said retracted position is effective first to raise the attached end of said rocker arms and edge portion of the mattress supported thereon over and beyond said rail, and thereafter to turn said rocker arms with the rock shaft to turn over and discharge said mattress from the table assembly about a pivotal axis out of contact with and beyond said rail.

3. A mattress discharge device for use in a machine for tufting mattresses and like articles having an article supporting table assembly including a table movable along a path on said machine and having an article supporting surface with recesses formed therein extending inwardly from an edge portion of said surface, and an article retaining frame providing a rail enclosing said article mounted for movement on said table along a diverse path, said table and article retaining frame being movable in said diverse paths from a discharge station in which said article retaining frame overlies a portion of said article supporting surface including said recesses, which comprises a rock shaft mounted in said edge portion of the table intersecting said recesses for rocking movement between a retracted and a mattress discharge position, means for turning sai-d rock shaft from an inoperative position through a substantially greater than angle to a mattress discharge position, a series of U-shaped support members attached to said rock shaft for rocking movement with said rock shaft from a buried inoperative position in said slots to a raised discharge position overlying the rail of said retaining frame, and a rocker arm pivotally attached to each said support member having a limited angular movement in the order of 30 in relation thereto from an extended position buried in said slot, whereby a turning movement of the rook shaft and support members from said retracted position is effective to raise said rocker arms to an angular position with relation to said support members in which the edge of the mattress is raised over and beyond said rail, and thereafter to turn over and discharge said mattress from the table assembly about a pivotal axis out of contact with and beyond said rail.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,979,901 Perlesz Nov. 6, 1934 2,700,332 Donald Jan. 25, 1955 2,869,493 Seavert Jan. 20, 1959 2,920,588 Bronstein et al. Jan. 12, 1960 2,934,219 Stumpf Apr. 26, 1960 2,976,828 Kalning et a1. Mar. 2-8, 1961 

